You’ll notice this week’s edition of Harder to Kill looks a little different. I’m experimenting with a “playbook” style format — shorter, punchier sections you can scan, save, or act on immediately. Some weeks you’ll see all of them, other weeks just a few. The goal is the same: to give you practical tools to become harder to kill.

Every man runs a model for change, whether he knows it or not.
Most get it backwards.

They tell themselves: “Once I have more time, money, or energy… then I’ll do the work… and finally I’ll be the man I want to become.”

That formula guarantees drift. It keeps you waiting for conditions that never arrive.

The truth is harder — and simpler. Identity comes first. Be the man now. Make the decision. Adopt the standard. Then you’ll do what he does — consistently, without negotiation. And only then will you have the results that follow.

High performers live this order instinctively. Everyone else spends their life chasing outcomes they’ll never hold.

Why identity shapes habits (and how to model your Future Self)

Most men try to change outcomes with tactics. A new diet. A new workout. A new supplement. A new app. And for a while, it works—until life pushes back or old habits creep in. Business travel, a long weekend with friends, an illness, or just fatigue—and the “system” folds.

The problem isn’t the tactics. It’s the identity running them. If you still see yourself as the guy who’s too busy, too tired, or “used to be fit,” your behavior will snap back to that story the second there’s friction. You haven’t changed who you believe you are. You’re trying to outrun an identity that hasn’t shifted—and that never works.

Identity-first beats results-first.
Results-first sounds like this: “Once work slows down, then I’ll eat better, train consistently, and drop the weight.” Identity-first flips it: “I am the man who owns his calendar, prioritizes according to my goals, eats 40g of protein at breakfast, and trains three days a week. The weight will follow.”

The first approach relies on willpower against gravity. The second removes negotiation. You’re acting from who you are, not what you hope will happen.

Be → Do → Have in the wild.
Two men set the same goal: drop body fat by 10% this year. The first white-knuckles his way through a strict diet, tracks perfectly for three weeks, then unravels on a work trip. The second adopts the identity athlete. He trains M/W/F no matter what city he’s in, eats protein first at every meal, and shuts down screens 30 minutes before bed.

Three months later, he hasn’t been perfect—but he’s been consistent. His identity pre-decided his actions, so friction never turned into drift. One chases results; the other embodies them.

Model your Future Self.
This is why we start Argent Alpha with the Future Self exercise. Until you define that man, your choices have no compass. Once you do, every decision becomes a vote: Does this align with the man I’m becoming?

If your Future Self feels out of reach, borrow an identity from someone who already lives the life you want. Don’t copy the man—copy the behavior. Train like an athlete. Think like a builder. Live like the man who already embodies what you want.

Identity needs proof—daily votes.
You don’t need grand gestures; you need evidence. Every action is a vote for or against your Future Self. The Alpha 5 are your five ballot boxes. Here’s an example:

Stack a week of votes and watch your internal dialogue shift. You’re no longer “trying.” You’re already the man who does these things.

Design your environment to match your identity.
Identity is the operating system; environment is the hardware. Make alignment easy and drift expensive:

If your environment argues with your identity, the environment wins. Every time.

Forcing functions keep identity honest.
Future Self hates vague promises. Give him structure:

Deadlines and exposure beat motivation.

Leading vs. lagging indicators.

Most men obsess over lagging indicators, but your Future Self is built by stacking leading ones. Control the behaviors. The results will follow.

Identity wins when life punches back.
At some point, a day will collapse. You’ll miss a lift, blow a meal, or sleep like trash. Identity-first men don’t spiral. They recommit at the next decision point. Missed your morning lift? Walk at lunch and train tomorrow. Ate poorly on the road? Nail protein at the next meal. Drift is the exception, not the identity.

How to install Be → Do → Have this week:

Be the man you want to become.
Do the things he does.
Have the life he has.

That’s Be → Do → Have.

One daily behavior. One vote for your Future Self.

The Briefing gave you the full playbook for Be → Do → Have. But don’t overcomplicate it. This week, start with one step:

👉 Pick one daily behavior tied to your Future Self and commit to it every day this week.

Choose from these five core areas:

One choice. One action. Seven days of evidence.

Be the man. Do the behavior. Have the proof.

Identity-Based Habits in Action

The Be → Do → Have framework isn’t theory — it’s been stress-tested by some of the best thinkers on behavior change. James Clear captured it perfectly in Atomic Habits:

This week’s Challenge asked you to cast one daily vote for your Future Self. If you want to dive deeper into why this works — and how small actions compound into identity — Clear’s piece on identity-based habits is the best primer I’ve seen.

I’ve field-tested this approach myself and with Argent Alpha men: when identity shifts first, behavior follows. It’s not about intensity, it’s about alignment.

👉 Read the full article here

Be → Do → Have in Action

This week’s video from Atomic Habits author James Clear connects directly to the framework we’ve been unpacking. In it, he explains How to Set Your Mission and Identity Statement — and that’s the essence of Be → Do → Have.

Your mission is who you decide to Be.
Your identity statement directs what you consistently Do.
The results follow — what you ultimately Have.

Watch it with this lens and ask yourself: What mission am I claiming, and what identity am I proving with my daily votes?

Men are stepping into the Foundational Community — not because life is easy or the timing is perfect, but because they refuse to drift any longer.

The best time to join? Two weeks ago when we launched. The next best time? Today. Not Someday. Today.

The difference between the man who reads and the man who changes is simple: one takes action.

Founder’s pricing is available as we grow this first group. Once we hit 100 members, the rate doubles.

If these newsletters resonate with you, don’t wait on the sidelines. Join us now and build alongside the men who have already decided.

👉 Click here to join the Foundational Community